The 2011


S u m m e r in the C i t y  C a b a r e t  W o r k s h o p


AUDITIONS
By appointment only

Thursday May 19th 6:30-9:30
Saturday May 21st 2:30-5:30

There will be 2 separate Workshop Weekends:

 


7/6 - 7/10 
week 1

7/13-7/17
week 2

 

Please hit Reply to email us here and set up your Audition Appointment.

 

please feel free to contact us with any questions.


CONTACT INFO:

FOR AUDITION APPOINTMENT: Lina


WHO WE ARE

Year round directors and teachers Lennie Watts (CABLAB) and Lina Koutrakos (ADVANCED PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP) are merging to do our 8th annual, 4 day cabaret performance intensive. We offer our collective expertise and share our wonderful connections with you as well. Let us tell you who we are and why we feel excited about what we can "teach" (pass along, share, reinforce etc...) We both, individually, have been having such a good time teaching directing and watching the folks who ask us to assist them in this capacity take the stage. Also we have had such a bad time running against each other for "Best Director" awards around the city over the years that we decided to join forces! We "hook up" every summer now for the last 8 years and give some of the students (Advanced Perfromers-AP's) we're already crazy about and the one's we've yet to meet a performance "upgrade"!

 

Though it is not a necessity to be both director and performer in order to teach, each of us feels we are at a distinct advantage to be bringing both these things to the table. We really want to offer the kick of having this combination going on simultaneously in our lives- to you. We can tell you what we want to see from an educated audiences perspective, give you solid guidance on how to achieve it from a directorial angle and maintain the understanding of the possible "roadblocks" you face in getting your point of view across from "up there".

Lennie is a Backstage Bistro award winning director, he is also 2002's MAC award winner for Best Director as well. Lennie's "leanings", if you will, as teacher have also covered a great deal of theater and his directorial client list consists of theater "cross overs", to pop singers, straight ahead cabaret performers, and comics. Lennie has also been very successful this past year working with lots of New Yorks talented kids. For Lennie's updated bio: www.lenniewatts.com

Lina also has a MAC and Bistro Award for Best Director. (different years then Lennie!) After winning many Best Female Vocalist awards she started a workshop concentrating, but not limited to, a more "pop/cabaret" student. As a performer, Lina, not a complete stranger to musical theater, has been concentrating on songwriting and fronts her own pop/rock band. Lina was MAC's 2007 "Best Artist of the Year". For Lina's updated bio: www.koutrakos.com

Both Lennie and Lina's "clients" have been nominated and won many Backstage Bistros and MAC awards themselves.

Lennie has been the booking agent in many of New Yorks top cabaret rooms and is the man who is responsible for the incredible performers who have done shows in Mama Roses, The Encore and most recently the Metropolitan Room. Lina has been on the teaching staff at both the Eugene O'Neil Cabaret Symposium and the Yale Cabaret Conference. Both Lennie and Lina have worked many years as part of the staff of Don't Tell Mama's and Eighty Eight's in the cabaret rooms, seeing well over 1000 shows and Lina was also the booking manager at Don't Tell Mama and the assistant booking manager at Eighty Eight's. Being privy to all these shows Lennie and Lina have the very exciting advantage of not only knowing what does work but much more valuable…. what doesn't. Exercising their directorial muscles they also have a real good idea of the why's and how's of both.

OUR OBJECTIVE

To have available to you an accompanist/arranger, directors (Lina Koutrakos and Lennie Watts) Seminars and guests (featuring people from the press, vocal coaches, songwriters, funny folks, business people, arrangers, Broadway types, established cabaret performers etc…) Some of these folks will be joining us in the guest director/teacher capacity as well. And a handful of other AP's to witness your mistakes, growth and successes. This is invaluable. Being a solo performer almost never allows you to "share" the experience and creativity of this process so this is priceless. We will help you pick material, show you the value of arranging it so it becomes "yours" and not just another song that everybody sings. We will work in a variety of ways on taking you far beyond a "good voice" (in this city- we are "a dime a dozen"!) We have every reason to think, with our experience and yours we can help you become a very unique performer as well as a great singer. We will work on lyric content, emotional intent, acting perspective and expressing it all through your voice.

WHAT'S EXPECTED OF YOU

To be someone who really wants to go through the process of this workshop. To show up physically and emotionally and above all else….To do the work. You have to be willing to bring the 3 things- vital to a song- to the stage: Your voice, your head, and your heart. This is not a beginners workshop. It is decidedly advanced, because we want to offer something to performers who are already good and simply want to be better sooner then later. Whatever you take away with you (good and bad) after the weekend, we guaranty we will have an extraordinarily good time. And, please trust that there is absolutely no way you will not learn more then ever watching others have similar victories and make the exact mistakes as you have been. You can't lose! On a more practical note: You are expected to bring a recording device, paper and music. We suggest you bring in at least 5-7 songs you know well enough to sing so we can "dig in" and work on. (works and music).

WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS WORKSHOP?

Advanced performers who sings well and want more from their performances and careers.

WHAT'S EXPECTED FROM US?

To bring to you "ego-free" all our experience and the ability to pass it on. And to gather as many available and specifically knowledgeable people to share their experiences both on and off stage with you.
THE PARTICULARS

Absolutely pass this along to other singer/performer friends of yours who you think would enjoy and benefit by this.

The itinerary and guests (who are all subject to change- "show biz" kids!) will be posted closer to the weekend.

Please know that once committed you are ours! Wednesday night from 6-10pm. Thursday night from 6-10pm. All day Friday and Friday night from10am-10pm (w/breaks of course!) All day Saturday and Saturday nights show, and Sunday up until about 5pm.

If you have a day job, take off Friday. We will be singing ALL day.

If you are rejoining us, you will be thrilled cuz we're shakin it up again!! The work will be what you know...no nonsense and intense, but the "format" and the information will change!